Tamensa installed — a backsplash finished with this tile. Zoom in and read the pattern before you pick.
PorcelainTamensa
Gray-Light
Measured surface color #dfdfe2, averaging #c7cdd2.
Flat surfaces read as one solid tone; heavily patterned ones vary piece to piece, so we lay them out with you before we cut.
- Style encaustic
- Color light gray
- tile-to-tile variation V4
What kind of tile is Tamensa?
We stock Tamensa as porcelain in a encaustic-pattern shape, 8x8. It reads gray-light. Porcelain is ceramic fired denser and harder, so it absorbs almost no water and holds a cut edge around an outlet. The store classes it as glazed.
Sizes and finishes
How it is actually sold — measured off the spec sheet, not rounded.
Sizes
Tamensa is made in a single size, 8x8. That makes layout simple — what you see in the sample is the module you get across the whole wall.
- 8x8
Planning the wall
What Tamensa works out to on your wall, from its own published size.
| Size (inches) | Pieces per 10 sq ft | Grout line per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 8×8 | 23 | 3 ft |
Arithmetic on the published size; a straight grid layout. Herringbone and other patterns cut more pieces.
At 8×8, Tamensa puts about 23 pieces on every 10 square feet of wall and about 3 feet of grout line on every square foot.
The spec sheet lists it as pressed rather than rectified: the edges are as they left the press, slightly softer, and the joints are set a little wider to suit.
Counts are before cuts — outlets, window returns and the ends of a run all take pieces. The install itself, from wall prep to caulk, is on our backsplash installation page.
Where it works
The applications this surface is actually rated for.
Where it is rated to go: flooring · outdoors, at all of it at commercial duty.
Rated for
- Flooring — residential and commercial
- Outdoors — residential and commercial
Tamensa or Zoudia?
Tamensa and Zoudia are easy to confuse on a sample board: they share the same material, collection, style, glaze type, PEI rating, shade-variation rating, certifications, edge, color listing and size. What separates them:
- Measured off each swatch, Tamensa reads #DFDFE2 (very light, essentially neutral) and Zoudia reads #EAEBE8 (very light, essentially neutral), so Tamensa sits darker than Zoudia on the wall.
What to expect once it is installed
The ratings that decide whether the finished wall matches the sample.
Shade variation: V4 — substantial variation
This is the dramatic end of the scale: two pieces from the same box can look unrelated. Order it all at once, from one run, with the overage included, and dry-lay the wall before a single piece is set.
Wear rating: PEI 3
On the industry abrasion scale of 1 to 5, this one sits at 3 — everything a kitchen asks of it: walls, counters and residential floors.
Certifications
Certified Greenguard Gold · USGBC/LEED. Greenguard Gold is the stricter of the two Greenguard tiers, written around schools and healthcare. It can also contribute toward LEED credits if your project is chasing them.
What to put next to it
Built from the color we measured off Tamensa itself, not from its name.
Read off its own swatch, Tamensa measures #DFDFE2: very light, essentially neutral. We match that to Cream / Antique White and build the pairings from there. Close enough to neutral that the cabinets get to make the decisions; this will follow them.
Cabinets
- Sage Green — muted green loves creamy warmth. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials solid
Countertop
- Green / Dramatic Veined Stone — dramatic green stone over quiet cream boxes. Against this surface it is much darker than this surface, so the tile reads as the light element current
Island
- Walnut — Cream perimeter cabinets let a walnut island play the furniture piece, and cream forgives the slow amber shift walnut takes on in a sunny room.. Against this surface it is much darker than this surface, so the tile reads as the light element classic
Backsplash
- Terracotta / Clay — Cream cabinets give terracotta tile room to glow instead of shout — the pairing ages like a Marseille farmhouse, better every year the glaze crazes.. Against this surface it is a step darker — enough separation to read as two materials current
Steer away from
- Pure White — cream next to pure white makes the cream look dirty — pick one white family
Questions about Tamensa
Answered from this product’s own spec sheet and our measurement of it.
What size is Tamensa?
Tamensa comes in one size, 8x8. One module across the whole wall keeps the layout simple — what you approve in the sample is what you get.
Where can I use Tamensa?
Its maker rates it for flooring · outdoors. We hold to that rating when we quote — installing outside it is how a warranty claim gets denied.
Will the tiles match the sample I saw?
Tamensa is rated V4 — substantial variation, by design. Two pieces side by side can look like different products. Order from one production run, buy the overage up front, and insist on a dry lay. This is the rating that generates complaints when nobody was told.
Can Tamensa go on a floor?
Yes. At PEI 3 it is rated for normal residential floors as well as walls and counters — the usual rating for a kitchen.
What color is Tamensa, really?
We measured its own swatch at #DFDFE2 — very light and essentially neutral. It sits close to neutral, so it takes direction from the cabinets rather than fighting them. Names are marketing; that number is what the camera saw.
Does Tamensa need sealing?
No. Porcelain is vitrified almost to zero water absorption. The tile itself never needs sealing; cement grout still benefits from it.
Tamensa installed
5 photographs of this tile in finished rooms — scroll the rail, tap any shot to zoom.
Close up
Swatches
Tiles that look like Tamensa
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Tamensa specifications
- Available size8x8
Rated for Flooring, Outdoors
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